What do you do if you’re already the “Netflix/Spotify for books”? Well, add over 10,000 comics and graphic novels from top publishers to your $8.99/month service.

Today, Scribd announced this addition of digital comics from publishers Marvel, Valiant, IDW, Top Shelf, Archie, Boom! Studios, Top Cow, Arcana, Zenescope, Space Goat, and Kingstone. This is in addition to over a million eBooks and audiobooks from hundreds of publishers that they currently offer.

This is great, and potentially game-changing, for fans of digital comics. It begs a few questions, however. Like, first, where the hell is DC? Their omission from launch seems like DC is missing the boat here, potentially. Even licensing a few choice titles would seem like a no-brainer, just to make it seem like they’re open to the idea. In that same vein, Dark Horse seems oddly missing. Would love to have some Hellboy to make this even more complete.

An even more interesting question is what this means for Marvel, who has their own all-you-can-read digital comics subscription service that contains almost all of their back library and comics from as recently as six months ago. This also includes their Marvel Infinity motion comics and stories with adaptive audio. But it’s good to see that Marvel doesn’t see this as a direct competitor any more than, say, Comixology. They seem willing to put their content wherever eyeballs will find it.

And what this really seems like a great deal for is families. Scribs is highlighting their inclusion of comic icons like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Archie, Spider-Man, and, yes, even My Little Pony.

So, at least for this dad, whose kids want to read Ponies AND Marvel, this seems like a great buy. Plus, all those books, so I can catch up on my Kierkegaard, and my wife can listen to the audiobook of Gone Girl. There’s something for everyone.

We’ll see how this shakes out, and certainly would rather see DC (and Vertigo) get added into this mix, but this is a great start for hopefully something that is disruptive and revolutionary to the digital comics market.

More information from Scribd’s press release below:

SCRIBD ADDS UNLIMITED COMIC BOOKS TO ITS SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARVEL, IDW/TOP SHELF, VALIANT, AND OTHER LEADING COMIC PUBLISHERS

Marks World’s Largest, Most Comprehensive Subscription Reading Service with More than 1 Million eBooks, Audiobooks, Comics, and More, All for $8.99 per Month

SAN FRANCISCO, February 10, 2015 at 10 a.m. ET — Scribd today announced that it is expanding its leading global subscription reading service to include unlimited access to more than 10,000 comic books from some of the world’s top comic publishers. This offering represents the first time such a rich and varied selection of comics from some of the industry’s top publishers – including Marvel, Archie, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, IDW/Top Shelf, and Valiant – have been made available in one unlimited digital subscription service. The selection includes fan favorites from Spider-Man to My Little Pony to X-O Manowar, and from Transformers to Archie, along with hit YA series such as Locke & Key and acclaimed graphic novels by creators Alan Moore, Matt Fraction, Gail Simone, George R.R. Martin and more.

“We are very excited to take this step in expanding our subscription service beyond books,” said Trip Adler, co-founder and CEO of Scribd. “This addition gives comics readers the freedom of unlimited reading, while also giving our ebook and audiobook lovers the opportunity to discover comics and graphic novels.”

Comics and graphic novels represent an $870 million market in the US, with a rapidly expanding and diversifying readership. Scribd is at the forefront of efforts to develop and shape the industry for the digital age by making it possible for readers worldwide to enjoy unlimited access to the comics they want across all mobile devices, as well as the web.

Scribd’s comics library will feature:

●        Classic Comics – Classic runs of the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil, Archie, Judge Dredd, the Rocketeer and more
●        Top Characters – Spider-Man, the Avengers, Betty and Veronica, Kevin Keller, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Bloodshot, Adventure Time
●        Major Creators – Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Fiona Staples, Darwyn Cooke, Mark Waid, Ed Brubaker, Renee French, Jeffrey Brown, Joe Hill, and many more
●        Acclaimed Graphic Novels – March, From Hell, Swallow Me Whole, Underwater Welder, Spiral-Bound, The Ticking, Too Cool to Be Forgotten
●        Award Winners – League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Alec, Will You Still Love Me if I Wet the Bed?
●         Hit YA Titles – Ultimate Spider-Man, Runaways, Afterlife With Archie, Harbinger, Lumberjanes
●        Manga – Partnership with MediaDo brings titles from Cork and Harlequin Manga, including work by acclaimed artist Moyoco Anno
●        Leading Publishers – Marvel, Arcana, Archie, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, IDW/Top Shelf, Kingstone, Space Goat, Top Cow, Valiant, Zenescope

Readers will have the ability to browse comics in a variety of ways, allowing long-time fans to dive deep and find what they love and new readers to explore comics:

●        By Character – Character pages allow readers to follow their favorite characters through their series and guest appearances.
●        By Series – Readers can browse by title and read series entire series from start to finish.
●        By Curated Collection – Readers can browse over 100 expert-curated collections of comics, such as Incredible Team-Ups, Classic Marvel Moments, Zombie Horror, Welcome to Riverdale, Funny Women, Supernatural Romance, and more.

This addition of comics, along with recent eBooks and audiobook deals, increases Scribd’s library to more than one million titles, representing the largest unlimited-access offering of eBooks, audiobooks, and comics globally.

About Scribd

Scribd is the premier subscription book service with more than 1 million e-books, audiobooks, comics, and more, including New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize winners and reader favorites across every genre. Launched in 2007 by founders Trip Adler and Jared Friedman and backed by Y Combinator, Charles River Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Khosla Ventures, Scribd is one of the most influential websites in the world. It is available in nearly every country, featuring 62MM documents in +80 languages, making it the world’s largest subscription reading service. For more information, please visit www.scribd.com.

About Marvel

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy five years.  Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit marvel.com.  © 2015 MARVEL

About Archie Comics

Archie Comics is the leading mass market comic book publisher in the world and the home to a wide array of the most popular humor, action-adventure and superhero characters in entertainment, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie, Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Afterlife With Archie, the Dark Circle Comics superhero characters (The Black Hood, The Fox, The Shield and more), Li’l Jinx and many more. Archie Comics have sold over 2 billion comics worldwide and are published around the world in a number of languages. In addition to comics, Archie characters have been featured prominently in animation, television, film and music. Follow Archie Comics on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Archie Comics Store.

About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; V-Wars from New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry; Ragnarök from Eisner Award-winner Walter Simonson; Winterworld, created by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino; and Little Nemofrom the award-winning duo of Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to acclaimed imprints such as the Library of American Comics, Yoe! Books, IDW Artist’s Editions, and Top Shelf Productions.

About Valiant Entertainment

Valiant is a leading character-based entertainment company with a library of over 2,000 characters, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and many more. Established in 1989, Valiant has sold over 80 million comic books, and today its characters continue to be forged in publishing, licensing, film, video games, and beyond. Since its 2012 relaunch, Valiant has returned to the fore as one of the most highly regarded publishers in comics, earning a Diamond Gem Award for Comic Book Publisher of the Year and multiple Harvey Award nominations. Visit them online at ValiantUniverse.com.

 ###

UPDATE: And here’s Marvel’s press release:

MARVEL PARTNERS WITH SCRIBD TO MAKE SOME OF MARVEL’S GREATEST COLLECTED
EDITIONS AVAILABLE VIA SUBSCRIPTION

Unlimited Access to Hundreds of Marvel’s Collected Editions Starring Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk and More, All for $8.99 per Month

New York, NY – February 10^th, 2015 — Marvel Comics today announced that it has partnered with leading subscription reading service Scribd to provide readers unlimited access to hundreds of Marvel’s collected editions starring Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Hulk, and more. This offering represents the first time Marvel Comics will be available via a subscription service alongside other content forms including eBooks and audiobooks.

“For decades, a driving force at Marvel has been the desire to put comics in the hands of new readers,” said Daniele Campbell, VP CRM. “Our partnership with Scribd allows some of Marvel’s greatest stories to sit alongside Scribd’s already vast and eclectic catalogue of content in an effort to reach readers who might not have access to a comic shop.”

“This partnership gives us the opportunity to not only bring devoted comic fans into Scribd’s world of unlimited reading, but also to introduce the entire Scribd community to the world of comics,” said Julie Haddon, Vice President of Editorial and Marketing at Scribd. “We’re excited to broaden our subscription service so that readers can discover more than books.”

Marvel fans will have the ability to browse hundreds of Marvel’s collected editions on Scribd by category, subcategory and custom collections curated by Scribd’s editorial staff:

• Top Characters – Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Hulk, and more
• Classic Comics – Classic runs of the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil and more
• Major Creators – Mark Waid, Ed Brubaker, Brian K. Vaughan, Grant Morrison, and many more
• Hit YA Titles – Ultimate Spider-Man, Runaways, Young Inhumans
• Award Winners – Acclaimed graphic novels by artists from Alex Ross to Moebius
• Curated Collections – Classic Marvel Moments, Heroes of Color, Spotlight on Jack Kirby, and more

Scribd is at the forefront of efforts to develop and shape the industry for the digital age by making it possible for readers to enjoy unlimited access to comics across all mobile, tablet, and web platforms. 

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy-five years.  Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit marvel.com. 

© 2015 MARVEL

About Scribd

Scribd is the premier subscription book service with more than a million e-books, audiobooks and comics including New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize winners and reader favorites across every genre. Launched in 2007 by founders Trip Adler and Jared Friedman and backed by Y Combinator, Charles River Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Khosla Ventures, Scribd is one of the most influential websites in the world. It is available in nearly every country, featuring 62MM documents in +80 languages. For more information, please visit www.scribd.com.

I keep doing my best to get the word out on my favorite comic book, “The Private Eye”, since I started writing for Big Shiny Robot. I don’t know how much more I can do to get everyone to take a look at it. First of all, the comic book can be purchased for whatever you’d like. That means you can pay nothing! Pay nothing and if you love it, go reward the artists. I think that last part scares people off because, surely an indie book for free cannot be of an equivalent level of quality as a comic book from Image or Dynamite or BOOM! Studios or IDW. I assure you, the quality of this book is equal to and better than nearly every book available through the direct market.

The writer on the book is the multiple Eisner award winning Brian K. Vaughn (“Y The Last Man”, “Saga”). The artist for the book is Marcos Martin (“The Amazing Spider-Man”, “Daredevil”); and the colorist, Munsta Vicente, she is a fantastic talent who has illustrated for Elle Magazine and Harper Collins.

I’ve talked about the story before too, but you haven’t downloaded the book so I’ll try again. PI is a “Private Eye” in a near future where the press and the police have merged into one. The Internet no longer exists because of a huge data breach. Everyone’s secrets were laid bare for the entire world to see so people stopped trusting the security of the Internet. People being inherently private, now where masks and move through the world as their avatars. PI was hired to follow a man and dig up some secrets. The woman that hired him is killed and now PI is on the run from the press and from her killers.

It’s a twist on the classic noir, set in the future and painted in bright futuristic colors by Munsta Vicente. Did I mention she is fantastically talented? Here are some preview pages from the book that you can find on www.panelsyndicate.com. Go there to download every issue right now and tune in tomorrow for “Five and Three” where, like every week this book has been released, I guarantee you’ll see some panels from this masterful piece of storytelling.

Image: www.panelsyndicate.com

Image: www.panelsyndicate.com

Image: www.panelsyndicate.com

Image: www.panelsyndicate.com

When the unthinkable happens — Batman is taken out of commission by Gotham City’s nastiest villains — who do you call? Well, none other than DC Comics’ star-spangled, gold-bangled princess herself, Wonder Woman, to kick off a new digital-first comic book, “Sensation Comics,” which hits digital shelves Wednesday, Aug. 13.

“I just thought we should have another [Wonder Woman comic book] called ‘Sensation Comics,'” explained writer Gail Simone when I spoke with her and artist Ethan Van Sciver, who together wrote and drew this inaugural story. By way of backstory, Wonder Woman first appeared in the pages of “Sensation Comics” in the 1940’s, in the same way Superman and Batman started out in “Adventure Comics” and “Detective Comics,” respectively.

So the launch of the “Sensation Comics” title, which will feature a rotating set of artists and writers to tell stand-alone stories, is a nod to the past. But it’s also cognizant of the future, being published digitally first and then being collected into print comics every few issues. It’s also a chance to let one of DC’s “Big Three” step a little bit more into the spotlight.

“This is a new golden age. It’s a great time to be a fan,” added Simone, noting the inclusion of Wonder Woman in the upcoming Batman v. Superman film and trumpeting the expansion of Princess Diana of Themyscira’s digital footprint.

Simone’s and Von Sciver’s story “Gothamazon” will cover both the first and second digital issues, and pits Wonder Woman against all of Batman’s greatest foes, to whom she gives no quarter. She’s not pulling any of her super-powered punches, either, instead bringing what she calls “Gotham Solutions.”

And what is Gotham but dark and brutal? “I am Amazon. We invented ‘Gotham Solutions’,” she proudly monologues as she throws W-shaped “bat-a-rang” style throwing weapons into Batman’s rogue’s gallery with crippling force. When I asked what hurts more, a Batarang or one of these W-rangs, Simone answered, “I think Wonder Woman could throw them a lot harder than Batman.” Indeed.

While Wonder Woman’s new methods may match the dark nature of Gotham, she, herself, does not. Credit for the beautiful digital art must be given to Von Sciver, who commented, “Wonder Woman brings color wherever she goes.” While we’re used to seeing Gotham almost as a dark and ominous character itself, “I wanted her to stuck out like a sore thumb in Gotham. When she steps in, she stands out.”

Simone agreed, “I think she needs to stand out. She’s someone whose charisma and light is so strong you have no choice but to look at her.” And you can’t help but be drawn to her on these pages.

Her script is also whip smart, including all the quips we’ve come to expect from Simone. At one point The Riddler offers a particularly terrible pun as the answer to one of his riddles. Simone admits it took her “not that long” to come up with it. Seriously, follow her on Twitter and you’ll see how often she makes these kinds of jokes herself. Which begs the question: Is Gail Simone a super criminal in disguise?

Probably more like superhero, as she’s helped make “Sensation Comics” a reality, lobbying for it, digital or otherwise, for years. But now that we’ve got it, how do we pick up this goodness and get it in front of our eye holes? You can pick it up digitally starting today, or wait for the print edition in a few weeks at your local comic shop. Or both.

You’re not going to want to miss this.

This story also appears on The Huffington Post.

Earlier this week I felt the timing was about right and sent a tweet to the guys over at Panel Syndicate indicating that my anticipation was now at a fever pitch. I told them that I knew issue #7 of Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martin, and Munsta Vicente’s “The Private Eye” had to be coming soon. Their reply was that it was coming sooner than I thought. Fast forward two days and a few hours and soon really was “sooner than I thought”.

For new comers, go give the issue a try. The books are pay what you like so if you’re shy and not sure you want to spend money on some digital only comic book kinda thing you could pay nothing. Long-time fans of the series and of their creators have all created a minimum price they’ll pay for the books though, because quality deserves reward. For the initiated but forgetful, Brian K. Vaughn AKA BKV is the popular writer of recent classics like “Y The Last Man” and “Ex Machina”. He’s also the writer behind the break out hit and comic book shop darling “Saga” from Image Comics. Marcos Martin has worked with Brian before on the incredible “Doctor Strange: The Oath” and his most recent pencil work was on the popular “Daredevil” run with Mark Waid and on “The Amazing Spider-man”.

As for “The Private Eye”, go get an issue and see for yourself. If you’re still not convinced, how about if I told you that “The Private Eye” was about a near future where the Internet cloud burst and everyone’s dirtiest secrets was available to the world? All of your anonymous posts, your search history, your buying habits, and your browsing habits out there for everyone to see. The Internet itself gets shut off and the world still embraces technology, just not the networked kind. In that world the police are gone and have been replaced by the press! The main character and protagonist of the series is a private investigator that helps find people because in this world, everyone wears a mask. If that didn’t whet your appetite, nothing will short of a read so go get an issue now!

Preview Pages shown below are located on Panel Syndicate here. 
Image From Panelsyndicate.com

Image From Panelsyndicate.com

Image From Panelsyndicate.com 

To contact the guys at Panel Syndicate you can send them a message via Twitter @PanelSyndicate. Be sure to catch this week’s “Five and Three” because something from “The Private Eye” is bound to make it in. If you’re interested in what that is, find me on Twitter @MarkAvo.

Thrillbent Comics will be releasing their next digital endeavor for download via their app, tomorrow. James Tyneon’s “House In The Wall” will release twice monthly. The horror tale focuses on a young woman who had been “sleep walking through life”. The only thing in her life that seems to be reality is a spectral home she visits in her dreams. You can grab this for free provided you are a Thrillbent subscriber at $3.99 monthly.The book is co-written by Tynion and Noah J. Yuenkel with art by Eryk Donovan, colors by Fred C. Stressing, and letters by Troy Peteri. Press release below!

Following up on the launch of Empire Volume 2, Thrillbent has revealed the next original digital comic that will launch on theone-stop showcase for creator-owned digital comics — James Tynion’s House In The Wall. The book is co-written by Tynion and Noah J. Yuenkel with art by Eryk Donovan, colors by Fred C. Stressing, and letters by Troy Peteri. The first chapter launches on Thrillbent this Friday, June 20. Following that, the limited series will be serialized exclusively on Thrillbent twice-monthly thereafter.

 

The horror tale tells the story of Ariel Carpenter who has been sleep-walking through life for as long as she can remember. Nothing, not her boyfriend, her job or her friends… none of it seems to bring her any closer to reality. The only thing that seems solid, seems real, is a spectral house she visits every night in her dreams. But when she discovers a door to that impossible dream house in the wall of her run-down Brooklyn apartment, she’ll unlock an ancient horror that has the potential to destroy her life forever.

House In The Wall, along with all the other content on Thrillbent, is available with the $3.99 monthly subscription (also available through the website). 

Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover won the Eisner this year for creating the Best Digital Comic. Their wonderful comic, Bandette, was released by the digital publisher Monkeybrain. With the notoriety that comes along with an Eisner, their digital comic is coming to print via Dark Horse Comics this Wednesday. Anyone looking for a terrifically light hearted book with humor, adventure and a dash of extra spicy awesome sauce need look no further. This book has everything and is incredibly well drawn and well told. Even the forward by Paul Cornell is the kind that draws readers in. But it’s the art, with an understated color pallet, that will keep readers coming back, over and over again.

Paul Tobin provides the story while Colleen Coover provides the art to a tale about a young thief in Paris who is a bit of a Robin Hood and a touch of Catwoman. She has a band of merry men, led by a love interest named Daniel, who are actually friends and fans of Bandette’s from the streets. Even the head cop, Inspector Belgique, is a fan of Bandette. He works to capture her but she is more of the kind of criminal that saves the day while keeping a little something for herself. She manages to get from him and the Paris police, with some misdirection from her street urchin helpers, as well as some clever costuming. Her bright red blouse converts to a purse where she can hide her mask and wig, while her colorful cloak becomes a lovely yellow skirt.

She’ll cleverly walk past the police on her escape saying her catch phrase “Presto!” under her breath. With a smile on her face, she’ll then get a call from the Inspector; because he’ll need her custom kind of help catching a true criminal. That being said, there is more than one clever thief in Paris, and she’ll have to work with the Monsieur to take down the truly dangerous criminals of Paris.

Bandette Volume 1: Presto! Is the collection of the MonkeyBrain Comics published issues 1-5. If you’ve liked what you’ve read and you fall in love with the preview art, the digital comics would be a great place to get more of a preview. The printed story though, includes extra stories by Tobin with art from Steve Lieber, Alberto J. Alburquerque, Tina Kim, Jonathan Case, Jennifer Meyer, Rich ellis, Mitch Gerads and Erika Moen. Each one of these “Urchin Stories” expands on Tobin and Coover’s rich world of fun through criminal endeavor. The books extra features also contain a short story by Tobin called Daniel’s story – with some additional illustration by Colleen Coover. Not done there, the extras get one more jolt of awesome sauce in the form of an art process breakdown by Colleen.

For the low price of $14.99 you get 142 pages of everything that makes comic books terrific. It’s entertaining; it’s a great piece of literature and a wonderful display of art that will warm even the coldest of hearts. Considering the time of year, Dark Horse couldn’t have picked better timing to drop this book into your hands, or through your hands, to those of your friends and fellow street urchins.

Writer: Paul Tobin, Alberto J. Alburquerque
Artist: Colleen Coover
Additional Artists: Steve Lieber, Erika Moen, Jonathan Case, Jennifer Meyer
Cover Artist: Colleen Coover
Genre: Humor, Crime, Action/Adventure
Publication Date: November 06, 2013

Preview Pages Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

Cullen Bunn of The Sixth Gun & Helheim fame has been recently working on Deadpool Kills Deadpool, Venom and The Fearless Defenders over at Marvel Comics. Cullen Bunn has finished up all of those series with Marvel except for The Fearless Defenders. It appears like he has an opening in his schedule and has decided to work on a new Horror title called Night-Trap for the all-digital publisher Lion Forge Comics. 

According to a comment by Lion Forge Comics, this new horror title is owned by Lion Forge Comics. That’s a good sign for Lion Forge as they continue to add to an already stellar catalogue of titles and genre’s. Night-Trap will be influenced by ‘90’s Night Trap and will add to the nostalgic IP that Lion Forge is modernizing with a wonderful flair. The official announcement from Lion Forge Comics is can be seen below and is followed by some preview art.

ST. LOUIS – Oct. 31, 2013 – Digital publisher Lion Forge Comics announced the addition of its first horror property, Night Trap, to its diverse roster of digital properties. The comic bolsters Lion Forge’s existing slate of 1980s and ‘90s-inspired titles, including Airwolf and Knight Rider, which launched earlier this month.

Written by Cullen Bunn, author of the popular horror comic series The Sixth Gun, Night Trap pays homage to the notorious slasher films of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Although it bears the same name as the video game, Bunn creates an original story, influenced by the ‘90s Night Trap and other titles in the fear-filled genre. In the terrifying comic, a group of co-eds rents a beautiful lake house hoping to get some weekend relaxation and fun. During their stay, they encounter a murder-hungry madman who has watched a few too many splatter flicks. What follows is a gory maze of blood and pain, with death as the likely escape.

“Growing up in the ‘80s, I spent a lot of time watching horror flicks, including slasher movies such as Halloween, Maniac and their ilk – those movies were nerve-wracking, chilling and fun, so long as you enjoyed being scared,” said Cullen Bunn, writer of Night Trap. “I wanted to create a menacing, cruel, and unstoppable killer, and introduce a cast of young, likable victims. Along the way I’ve thrown in a few twists and surprises, but ultimately this is a tribute to the genre and to the killers who taught me that if you break the rules – the boogeyman will get you.”

“Our digital comics catalog is a testament to the passion we have for the movies, TV shows, comics and video games that entertained and influenced us growing up, and we’re thrilled to add our first horror property,” said David Steward II, founder and CEO, Lion Forge. “Fans of everything from Friday the 13^th to I Know What You Did Last Summer will get the full scare tactics with Night Trap– and with Halloween’s arrival, what better way for us to pay tribute to such a unique genre of entertainment than with a devilishly entertaining new horror property that all readers can enjoy.”

Night Trap is illustrated by JB Bastos, with Robby Bevard as colorist. The comic is scheduled to release in mid-November.

Preview Pages Courtesy of Lion Forge Comics
 

The joint venture by Brian K Vaughn and Marcos Martin called Panel Syndicate, has announced their 5^th book is available for purchase and download. Private Eye issue 4 joins the 3 previous issues of Private Eye and a “making of” issue that was released in early August of this year. It’s been a bit of a wait since the last issue but, as the two are using a “pay what you like” method of payment, the timing on the individual issues release hasn’t been as consistent as a book available through a publisher.

The independent online publishing method isn’t new, but BKV and Marcos Martin have quickly risen to the top as one of the best. They join other great online comic publishing like Mark Waid’s Thrillbent. Waid’s Thrillbent has many different forms of payment, including pay what you want. At this point though, BKV and Martin have yet to also publish through Comixology or Graphicly like Thrillbent has.

If you’re interested, name your price and pick up all 4 issues of Private Eye today. Be warned, even though the quality is worth it, there may be a bit of a wait for issue 5. Do you love Private Eye as much as I do? Tweet me @MarkAvo to talk about this spectacular “digital only” comic.

Captain Ultimate perfectly blends a comic intended for children with something the more mature reader can enjoy. The dialogue focuses on the one “pure” super hero, not the dark and brooding anti-heroes that have become so popular. Using savvy of current super hero issues the creative team behind C.U. is great at pointing out the terrible things that current super heroes do while making Captain Ultimate the shining pillar of virtue.

PHOTO: Captain Ultimate Cleaning Up After His Battle

I am pleased to see that the book is building towards a larger story arc instead of simply throwing b-list villains at our protagonist with the hope of continued sales to the young masses.  This beefy dog that uproots trees as toys is the protector of Milo, the only boy with real heart. The dog is given to Milo after a dinner of the only option, “5 delicious plates of meat loaf.” Because being the manly man he is, Captain Ultimate loves nothing more than meat loaf and his mustache.

Photo: Cap Ultimate Loves His Meatloaf

If you’re looking for a book with gore, edge, violence, and minimal fart jokes you’re in the wrong place. This is meant for super hero fans and their kids and unapologetically points out the writer’s opinion on “anti-heroes” and the like. There really isn’t much to say on that matter, the writing is solid, the art is gorgeous, and the comic is a lot of fun. You need to make room for one more “Cap” in your life.  You can buy Captain Ultimate for $.99 on Comixology.

DC Comics has graced us with a preview of the latest issue of their digital-first offering, Adventures of Superman #20.

This issue (which is available now at comiXology and Amazon) is the second of a two-part story written and drawn by David Lapham, famous great titles such as Stray Bullets. This story arc re-introduced Metallo and deals with a cult of Superman worshippers! The first part was so amazing, that we got to ask Lapham a few questions about his work on this title and the story itself.

Shaz-Bot: In your story, there is a “Church of Superman”, while Superman and religion have been touched on in the past before, did you find it easier or harder to approach the issue in a non-continuity series like Adventures of Superman?

David Lapham: I don’t think it would have made a difference with this story.  Continuity has its upside and downside.  On the one hand it’s a help to build on what’s been going on before and whats going on in a larger universe setting, on the other it’s very freeing to not be beholden to any of that and just come up with a good Superman story.  I suppose in this case it’s easier because my creation of a “Church of Superman” doesn’t have to be thought of in terms of how it might affect other stories or books.   

S-B: I know your work mostly from what would be considered non-mainstream (ie: not superhero) comics, do you approach writing these larger than life characters differently than you would otherwise?

DL: Yes.  But only because they can fly and lift buildings.  Otherwise I try and just tell my stories.  

S-B: I was very intrigued by the beginning of your tale. If offered, would you contribute more work to DC’s digital first offerings?

DL:  This one was great fun.  Yes definitely.  It’s a great way to play with these characters without, as we just talked about, all the weight of the larger universe.

S-B: Your issue also (re)introduced Metallo. While somewhat similar to other interpretations of Metallo, the way your Superman took him out was decidedly not! What would you say gave you the impetus to use Superman’s powers in such a creative (and fun) way? (Note: I’m referring to a scene where Superman uses his super breath to shoot a wrecking ball out of a construction tube like a cannon to dislodge Metallo’s Kryptonite heart)

DL: Heh.  Yeah.  That was just fun to think up a creative way to defeat Metallo like that.  He’s Superman he can do anything, why stand there and get weak in the knees.  Stuff like that frustrated me as a kid.  I loved Super Friends but could never understand why Green Lantern would fall apart if something yellow came along.  Like a bunny painted yellow could come along and kill everyone in the city and he’d be helpless.  I always thought “Well, pick up a car with your green energy hand and throw it at the yellow guy!”  The impetus for the Metallo thing probably came from all the Looney Tunes I watched as a kid where they’re running around in construction zones.  Or maybe that old Krazy Glue commercial. 

S-B: It seems in the first part of your story, Metallo is taken out pretty easily. Was his appearance meant to serve as a background to the narration, or will he be rearing his metallic head again?

DL: On one level it’s just an intro action.  So Metallo may not have been taken out easily, we’re just seeing the final act…BUT it may not be the final act.  We kinda sorta maybe might see him again in part two.

If you couldn’t tell, I really got a kick out of this story, and will be eagerly downlading the second part in a few minutes. I suggest you give it a shot as well. At 99 cents a pop, you get a lot of value for your comics dollar. Without further ado, here’s the preview for today’s issue.

Info on this week’s story:

Written/Drawn by David Lapham

In a race against time, the Man of Steel goes undercover to investigate the Church of Superman before hundreds of “faithful” followers attempt to jump to their deaths!